Alone in the Wall
by Matt Perrett
Summary: Neglect can break even the strongest of men. Author's note: I'm having a lot of trouble finding the best title for this piece. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!


Billy leaned heavily on the oppressive grey stone of the Shadow Warriors' hideout, struggling to get his wind back after a particularly exhausting battle with a group of highly-skilled fighters. He had always considered himself tough, and had maintained a grueling exercise regimen for years, but his stamina was running low after a seemingly endless series of fights. The nerve-wracking leaps over cavern crevasses and between narrow mountain ledges had taken their toll as well, not to mention the wall traps that had tagged him more than once shortly before his most recent skirmish. It was amazing that he was still standing, much less fighting.

The martial artist used the breather as an opportunity to see what lay ahead and plan his next move. There was another gap to cross – a small one this time, thankfully – followed by a short climb to an upper level. Exactly what was up there he had no idea, but it was clear from the numerous handholds carved into the stone surface that something was there. Idly, he wondered how they managed to move supplies this deep into their lair.

Feeling as rested as time would allow, Billy pushed himself off the wall and sized up the hole in the walkway before him. A well-practiced jump took him over the pit with room to spare, and he congratulated himself on how easy the manoeuver had become. Before he could take another step, however, a mountain of a man burst through a nearby section of the wall. Bald, tan and wearing only a ragged pair of blue pants a few sizes too small, he stalked toward Billy with a scowl plastered on his bulbous head. The young brawler had fought his ilk before, and the encounters had always proved to be exceptionally dangerous. Keen to avoid another bruising confrontation, he scampered up the rock wall and out of the giant's reach.

"Come down and fight, little man!" roared the enormous wrestler, shaking a meaty fist at his wiry opponent.

"No!" Billy called down, fully intent on ignoring the huge, shirtless man and scaling the wall with all due haste.

"I said, come down here!"

"No!"

The thug lowered his arm. "Please?" he requested, his tone tinged with desperation.

Surprised, Billy glanced back at the hulking man. "What? No."

Unexpectedly, this response appeared to completely crush the heavy's spirit. He stood there for a few moments, his lips aquiver, then sank to the floor with a tremendous thud and began bawling into his hands.

Taken aback, Billy eyed the gang member uncertainly. He really needed to hurry and rescue Marian as soon as possible, but...

He sighed, his good nature getting the better of him. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Will you fight me?" the bulky man asked.

"No, I'm not—" Billy groaned as this sent the bruiser into a fresh round of tears. "Come on, big guy, what's the matter?"

"Abobo waited in wall for two days," the goon sobbed, his voice muffled by his hands. "No one bothered to bring Abobo magazine or sandwich. Now little man won't fight Abobo!"

"Look, it's nothing personal," answered Billy. "Your friends just held me up longer than I expected, that's all."

"Abobo has no friends," the giant stated sorrowfully, lifting his face from his hands and shaking his head. "Boss is always angry, always shouting. No one like Abobo."

"That can't be true!" declared the blue-clad youth. "Everybody needs tough guys like you! After all, they put you in a very—" He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly remembering how easy it was to avoid the brute's ambush. Clearing his throat to cover his gaffe, he shifted his weight and reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a handkerchief and waved it to get Abobo's attention. "Come on, dry your eyes with this."

He dropped the handkerchief, but a breeze caught the cloth and sent it sailing into the chasm. Both men followed its flight until it disappeared from view. After a long moment of silence, Billy spoke up. "Sorry...that was my only one."

The man's mighty chest heaved and let out a deep, soul-weary sigh. "Little man is too nice to Abobo," he said in a mournful tone, gazing into the abyss. "Boss told Abobo to break little man's spine."

"Um, don't worry about it," the martial artist replied uneasily, adjusting his grip on the rockface. "Anyway, I should really be going...y'know, save my girlfriend and all."

The brawny henchman nodded sadly. "Abobo understands. Woman is very pretty. Abobo will be okay."

Billy looked unconvinced, but made no comment. He spared a pitying glance down at the bruiser, then scampered up the wall and out of sight.

Abobo sat on the stone floor for a few minutes longer before slowly rising to his feet. He gingerly climbed back inside the hole in the wall, then settled down again and tried to make himself comfortable. Wrapping his thick arms around his legs and pulling them close to his chest, he stared out from his hiding spot and listened to the distant sounds of battle above, weeping silently.


End file.
